Weather gets good, we spend cash

Weather gets good, we spend cash

After the long, uncomfortable summer, residents of the UAE can finally open their doors, windows… and wallets. Kipp asked where you have spent your cash since emerging, blinking, into the light.

November 30, 2010 3:34 by Samuel Potter

Living in the Gulf, it seems we spend the summer months (read: the majority of the year) promising ourselves that overnight trip to the desert, or dinner by the Dubai fountains, when “the weather gets better.” And then, before you know it, the winter months flash by and you’re back to wringing your sweat-drenched handkerchief as you run for the nearest air conditioned building.

Well, the winter months are here now, and the UAE is open for business. Hotels are reporting a big bump in business, as tourists flock to enjoy the UAE’s mild season. The National reports that hotels in Abu Dhabi witnessed a 16 percent rise in guest numbers in October compared with the same month last year. Lawrence Franklin, the strategy and policy director at Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority said (via an approved press release, we think) that November could be even better. “We anticipate November’s performance will be equally impressive with the emirate having hosted a number of key trade exhibitions and, of course, the 2010 Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix,” he said. “Add to this the recent opening of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and the arrival of the Yas Island Show Weekends which the hotels on Yas Island are supporting with extremely attractive deals and our annual target is well within our sights.” Dubai has also seen healthy interest from visitors.

Tourists are all well and good; no doubt they’re flocking here from the UK to avoid the early cold snap. But Kipp is curious: What about residents? How are people who live and work here capitalizing on the pleasant weather during the long-awaited winter months?

We asked our readers where they’re spending their cash in the good weather, and the results suggest the majority are spending their cash on other people – their families. A massive 59 percent of Kippers are investing their hard earned money in family activities, such as theme parks and water parks. That will be music to the ears of the likes of Ferrari World, all set for its grand opening tonight, or Wild Wadi, currently working on two major new rides.

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